The present invention relates to electronic controllers and, more particularly, to electronic controllers having multiple inputs and outputs.
Engine controllers are known in the art. Typically, an engine controller includes a microprocessor or other electronic controller and associated electrical components that are electrically connected on a circuit board. Those components must then be protected from the harsh environment of the engine compartment. Typically this protection is in the form of a metallic enclosure that isolates the circuitry from that environment. To connect the controller circuitry with external components such as sensors and actuators it is necessary to have connectors on the exterior of the electronic controller, the connectors having various pins to connect with an external wiring harness. The wiring harness then must be designed to connect specific desired devices to desired pins on the controller connector. Moreover, the same controller is generally used in many different engine and vehicle configurations. In those differing applications there may be some instances where the connectors must be physically dismantled and rewired to permit the electronic controller to receive and send all the desired signals for that configuration. The disassembly and rewiring is a time consuming, expensive procedure that can be prone to error. It would be preferable to have an electronic controller that is flexible enough to accommodate many different engine and vehicle configurations without hardware change.
In one aspect of the invention, an electronic controller includes a controller connected with a connector. The connector includes a plurality of pins, each pin capable of receiving or transmitting a signal from said electronic controller to an external device. The controller is programmed to configure the pin-out of the connector.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in connection with the drawings and appended claims.